How to Repair Fire Damage

A house fire is always a shock to the residents of the home and not an experience that anyone wants to deal with. However, recovering from fire damage is a process that needs to be dealt with slowly and precisely, in order to make sure that no more damage is done to your house, you are kept out of danger, your insurance company helps you out as much as possible, and your home is as safe as it can be before you move back in.

Things You'll Need

• Mask
• Gloves
• Goggles
• Heavy boots
• Camera
• Vacuum

Instructions

1. Assess the damages and decide when it is safe to re-enter your home. Walk around the exterior of the home and decide whether the structure is stable. Inside, watch out for loose wires or poles, and wear a mask, gloves, goggles and heavy boots in order to be protected from dangerous fumes or materials. You can also call a fire damage restoration professional to assess your home, which is the safest way to return inside.

2. Shut the electricity off immediately, so that no electrical surges will occur. Without touching loose wires or poles, determine what looks damaged. Write down the damages and take pictures of damaged items so that the insurance company will be aware of everything you lost, and professionals will have a accurate information of what need fixed.

3. Remove soot as quickly as possible, before you attempt to remove odors or clean surfaces. Soot, a dust that is left over from burning flames, is either light and dry or oily and sticky, but it is always acidic and it stains. Hold a vacuum cleaner nozzle near the surface of an item covered in soot, but not touching it. Attachments or upright vacuums will force soot farther into a surface, so keep the vacuum at a distance. A professional will have equipment more suitable for soot removal than an average household vacuum.

4. Open all windows and doors so that fumes can escape. Removing smoke odors is nearly impossible without the help of a professional. Professionals will know what types of counteracting chemicals will break up the smoke molecules, depending on what type of materials were burned. An expensive ozone treatment might be used, which will break up the smoke molecules best. During this process, all furnishings and belongings will need to be covered.

Tips & Warnings

• Professionals include the correct gear needed to re-enter and assess a home's damage. Fill your insurance company in on every little detail so that it is aware of everything happening throughout the process.

• Asses your house well before re-entering, and watch out for anything that might be sticking out and dangerous.

References

• Handling smoke damage after a fire
• A homeowners guide to fire restoration

Resources

• Fire damage restoration